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Month: September 2016

“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8:28, MSG)

It’s easy to get stressed when things don’t go my way, but maybe my way wasn’t the way the day was supposed to go. When I learn to see interruptions as opportunities, more possibilities unfold than I could have imagined had I remained trapped in the realm of disappointment.

Like this:

After taking off work, getting up earlier than usual, and driving over an hour and a half in rush hour traffic to get to our appointment, I wasn’t happy to find out the doctor had cancelled without notice. That Bible verse about taming the tongue came in handy right about then. So instead of calling the doctor to demand he pack up his golf clubs and keep his originally scheduled commitment, I took my kids to the downstairs gym.

While I continued in my attempts to suppress a barrage of choice words about our MIA doctor, my daughter quickly made friends with a precious boy who insisted we stay for wheelchair basketball. The boy was so charming, so joyful despite his circumstances. We couldn’t resist his invitation.

Six hours later, we were on the sidelines, believing we’d be watching the tournament. Instead, the staff rolled out enough wheelchairs that we all could play with the boy and a few of his friends. My daughter flew around on her chair like a pro while I struggled to keep up. In the end, we had the most fun we’d had in awhile and made some new friends in the process.

If not for my easy-going daughter, I might have had a meltdown that day instead of a blast. She’s not concerned with delays, floating through life as though stress were not a dictionary term. She saw the interruption as an opportunity to make friends and have some fun along the way. And I’m glad she did! Because of her worry-free outlook, we got to know that little 7-year old inspiration and to be on his winning team. It was worth the unexpectedly cancelled doctors appointment and the extra six hour wait at the children’s hospital.

I try to keep the memory of that day in mind whenever I encounter what I perceive to be interruptions. It’s easy to get stressed when things don’t go my way, but maybe my way wasn’t the way the day was supposed to go. When I learn to see interruptions as opportunities, more possibilities unfold than I could have imagined had I remained trapped in the realm of disappointment.

Like this:

“You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:5-7)

Like this:

I don’t want to leave this world unnoticed. I don’t want to leave the world unaffected by my being here. But I know it’s not always the big things that matter. More often, it’s the little things that add up to the dash between the years.

Like this:

However short or long my life may be, I want to do something meaningful. I want to live fully, to love deeply. I want to give my life for something that matters. Something that will outlast me. I can’t be satisfied to go through the motions one more day.